Resolutions

I can’t believe we’re already halfway through December! Christmas is in one week and then shortly after that is New Years. Every single New Year all you hear from people is what their “resolutions” are. We all resolve to be healthier or work out more and before you know it, you’re having Margarita Monday and Taco Tuesday every day.

I have a feeling that 2019 is going to be the year of all years! At least, that’s what I’m telling myself as we come up to the end of 2018. Instead of beating yourself up if you don’t stick to your guns and you don’t exceed expectations, start by making small, simple changes to your current routine.

There’s something about the end of the holiday season that makes us feel as if we need to kick it into high gear and create all of these New Year’s resolutions that we probably aren’t going to see through to the end of the first month. Maybe it has something to do with eating our weight in food for Thanksgiving and Christmas and wanting to start fresh. A new year, new beginnings!

Instead of making a long list of all these things you resolve to do, make small changes to the things you’re already doing. Do you have a routine? If not, check out this post on How to Establish a Routine. If you do follow a routine, stick to it! Make it a resolution to stick to what you’ve been doing and don’t slack on it. Are you working out in the mornings? Did you eat an extra slice of cheesecake? Don’t feel guilty about it and instead wake up 10 minutes early so you can tack on a little extra time to your workout.

When you focus on sticking to the things that you already know, it’s easier to tack on small accomplishments than to totally wipe out the things you already do and replace them with a lot of things you might not be able to accomplish. Here are some habits you can incorporate into your existing routine:

Eat a healthy breakfast (and healthy meals throughout the day)

Schedule 30 minutes to an hour in your day to workout

Meal prep on Sunday for your lunches and/or dinners for the week

DRINK MORE WATER

Be kind to yourself; You’re doing the best you can!

You should avoid setting unrealistic goals for yourself or demanding you accomplish certain things. For example, you should avoid setting goals like: “I want to lose 15 pounds by February” or “No more drinking alcohol” or “I need to run for 40 minutes every single morning”. Those things are not maintainable goals because life happens! Sometimes we don’t wake up on time and we miss a morning workout or we eat a couple extra servings.

When you try to make drastic changes, you’re setting unrealistic expectations for yourself that will only leave you feeling frustrated and disappointed. Instead you should focus on making subtle changes to your existing routine so you can turn them into part of your lifestyle. This will create the opportunity for longer lasting changes and it makes it possible for you to actually stick to them!

Cheers to the New Year and good luck on your journey to new resolutions!